Visualization methods like "BONCAT" reveal important, novel, and basic insights into the unique metabolic features of microbes in the deep biosphere, as in the slow-growing, archaeal-bacterial consortium anaerobically oxidizing methane in deep sea sediments pictured here.

Get involved with our education, outreach and diversity opportunities for teachers, K-12, undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctorals in our quest to train and foster the next generation of deep biosphere researchers.

Congratulations again to C-DEBI co-Investigator Andy Fisher who was honored as an AGU Fellow last week! Hope those that attended the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in DC had a terrific week of deep biosphere sessions!

On a policy front, the NSF has recently announced new measures to protect the research community from harassment. Like NSF, C-DEBI is committed to promoting safe, productive research and education environments for current and future scientists and engineers and will not tolerate harassment, including sexual or sexual assault within our community. C-DEBI’s Ethics Policy also maintains avenues for potential ethical misconduct resolution for members of the C-DEBI community.

Finally, all good things must come to an end. C-DEBI is an NSF Science and Technology Center, and we have entered year 9 (of 10). In the final 18 months, NSF funding for all STCs scales back substantially, and a number of changes at C-DEBI must consequently occur in the phase down. 2018 represented the last round of the Research Grants and Fellowships programs; we now move towards synthesis activities (and continue to support community workshops). We must also eliminate a number of our Education, Outreach, and Diversity programs, but we are developing plans for sustaining some of these with outside support. 2018 also marks the end of CC-RISE at UCSC, Community College Instructor Workshops, Teacher Small Grants, and the USC SeaGrant Summer Marine Science Camp; 2019 will see the final installments of CC-RISE at WHOI, the GEM course, and GGURE. The community college C4 REU has been hugely successful, and we have submitted a renewal proposal to the NSF for 2020. As we approach the end of NSF-funding, we continue to strategize on how to maintain C-DEBI and our community in its next phase. Suggestions and creative ideas are more than welcome!

Cheers,

Jan Amend
C-DEBI Director

Education and Outreach

California Institute of Technology

Geobiology 2019: An International Training Course in a Rapidly Evolving Field

Now entering its 16th year, the International Geobiology Course is an intense, multidisciplinary summer course exploring the coevolution of the Earth and it’s biosphere, with an emphasis on how microbial processes affect the environment and leave imprints on the rock record. Participants get hands-on experience in cutting-edge geobiological techniques, learn from a broad team of eminent scientists in the field, and work in research groups to solve relevant questions. Geobiology 2019 begins with a 10-day field trip to the Mammoth Springs area of the Eastern Sierra, to study hot springs, ancient sedimentary rocks and fossils, and the modern biogeochemistry of Mono Lake, as well as the coast near Ventura, CA to see sulfur springs and a world-famous exposure of the Monterey Formation. The course then returns to Caltech in Pasadena for ~2 weeks of laboratory instruction and hands-on experience with many of Caltech’s cutting edge facilities and instrumentation. We finish with 11 days at the Wrigley Marine Center on beautiful Catalina Island, learning from a rotating cast of geobiology instructors and working on project data. Geobiology 2019 is open to all graduate students and postdocs interested in pursuing geobiologic research as a career. We expect to admit 16 participants this year via competitive admissions. Preference is generally given to those in the midst of their program, rather than at the very beginning or end. Postdocs with training in other fields who want to work in geobiology are encouraged to apply. Applicants from around the world, including developing nations, are encouraged to apply. Financial aid is available for those with demonstrated need. Applications are due by February 8, 2019.

Undergraduates in Bigelow Laboratory’s summer REU Program spend ten weeks at the Laboratory conducting independent research with guidance from a scientist mentor. Directed by Senior Research Scientist Dr. David Fields, and funded by the National Science Foundation, the REU Program is designed to give students pursuing degrees in the sciences, mathematics and engineering a laboratory-based research experience with an emphasis on hands-on, state-of-the-art methods and technologies. REU students are immersed in the Bigelow community and participate in seminars, field trips, Laboratory outreach programs, social events, and more. Each student in the program is paired with a Bigelow Laboratory scientist based on mutual research interests. During the ten weeks, students work with their mentors to identify a research question, develop a proposal, conduct their research, and prepare an abstract and poster. At the end of the program, students present their poster and give a talk at a student symposium. Research areas vary year to year, but include marine microbiology, ocean biogeochemistry, optical oceanography, remote sensing, bioinformatics, sensory biology and phytoplankton ecology. The 2019 program dates are May 28 through August 2 and will be held at the Laboratory’s East Boothbay campus. Successful applicants receive a stipend, free housing, and funds for travel to and from Bigelow Laboratory. Application period closes February 15, 2019.

We know more about Mars than we know about Antarctica’s subglacial environment, but new information about its nature is changing the way we view the continent. The Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA) project aims to uncover new knowledge about this newly explored biome through an integrative study of subglacial geobiology, water column and sedimentary organic carbon, and geobiological processes in one of the largest subglacial lakes in West Antarctica. Over December 2018 – January 2019, SALSA will set up a field camp of 50 scientists, drillers, and support staff to drill 4,000 feet into the ice and sample from this scarcely studied environment. Located roughly 500 miles from the South Pole, team members will reach the study site using specialized tractors and ski equipped aircraft. Follow us on our Blog, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Click here to view news stories highlighting SALSA’s work.

The new JOIDES Resolution traveling exhibit (which if you’re not familiar with, you can see a video preview of it here: https://youtu.be/lbnQIXIcync) was created through an NSF grant that also provides funding to allow the exhibit to visit sites around the United States to the end of 2021. If you would like the exhibit to come to your community, there is an online application form to nominate your community as a future host site during 2019-2021. Before you go and do that though, there are a couple stipulations. The grant requires each host community to be a collaboration between an organization such as a library, museum, science center, or university and a local girl scout council. The organization will provide the facilities to present the exhibit to the public, as well as provide opportunities for underserved audiences to easily experience the exhibit. The girl scout council will commit to training some of their girl scouts to be volunteer docents for the exhibit while it is in town. If you have any contacts with local organizations and/or girl scout councils who may be interested in hosting this exhibit, please pass this information onto them.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) seeks outstanding candidates for a position to fill one of two roles: 1) Organismal Physiologist, or 2) Zooplankton Ecologist/Curator, at Assistant Professor rank. Candidates will be evaluated on their potential to establish a vigorous research program and provide intellectual leadership in their field, acquire extramural funds, teach and mentor graduate students, teach in the marine biology undergraduate major, collegiality, and service towards building an equitable and diverse scholarly environment. For full consideration, please apply by January 31, 2019.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) seeks outstanding candidates for a position to fill one of two roles: 1) Organismal Physiologist, or 2) Zooplankton Ecologist/Curator, at Associate Professor rank. Candidates will be evaluated on their potential to establish a vigorous research program and provide intellectual leadership in their field, acquire extramural funds, teach and mentor graduate students, teach in the marine biology undergraduate major, collegiality, and service towards building an equitable and diverse scholarly environment. For full consideration, please apply by January 31, 2019.

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Montana State University invites applications for an Assistant/Associate Professor tenure-track faculty position in the field of environmental microbiology. Microorganisms drive global geochemical cycles and link critical ecosystem processes influencing plant, animal, and environmental health. We seek to attract an exceptional individual to establish a nationally recognized, externally funded research program aimed at understanding the dynamic interactions between microbial life and the environment, to teach both undergraduate and graduate students through development of innovative courses, and to participate in professional/service activities. We are particularly interested in individuals whose work complements and strengthens the research interests of MSU faculty, including those focused on microbial physiology and ecology, molecular evolution, virology, biomedical microbiology, environmental health, and host-pathogen interactions. Screening of applications will begin on February 1, 2019; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

One or more postdoctoral positions are available for research projects on the origin, residence times and geochemical signatures of deep crustal fluids and the subsurface microbial communities that are sustained by water-rock reactions in the deep Earth. Field, laboratory and modeling opportunities are available to extend the existing program to explore the implications of our work on Earth analogs to the search for life on the rocky bodies and ocean worlds of our solar system. Applicants with a PhD in geochemistry, geobiology, chemistry or related disciplines are encouraged to apply. Contact: Dr. B. Sherwood Lollar, bslollar@chem.utoronto.ca. Position is open immediately and will remain open until the position(s) are filled.

The Department of Geosciences at Princeton University is seeking applications for a tenure-track assistant professor faculty position in geology, broadly defined. We are particularly interested in interdisciplinary scientists who could interact productively with existing faculty working in geophysics and/or climate. Possible fields of specialty include, but are not limited to, petrology, volcanology, tectonics, glaciology, rock deformation, earth surface processes, and paleontology. Evaluation of applications will begin as they arrive; for fullest consideration, apply by December 21, 2018, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University seeks an Instructional Assistant Professor (Non-Tenure Track) to lead efforts in the development and execution of online courses in an Ocean Data Science track being developed for the online Masters of Geosciences (MGSc) degree program. The candidate is expected to transform and deliver courses on Ocean Observing Systems, Physical Oceanography, and Ocean Data Methods in a distance education environment. The successful candidate will work closely with the College of Geosciences Distance Learning Team, Department of Oceanography faculty and associated content experts to develop online course content material. The Department of Oceanography is part of an alliance of Ocean Sciences at Texas A&M that spans the Marine Biology and Marine Sciences Departments at TAMU Galveston, the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group, the International Ocean Discovery Program, and Texas Sea Grant. Review of applications will begin immediately and the advertisement will remain open until the position is filled. The desired start date is February 1, 2019. The full-time position carries 9 months of salary with possibility of additional 3-month summer salary depending on availability of funds and the success of online courses.

The Teske lab is looking for a postdoc who is interested in sequence-based analysis of hydrothermal vent and subsurface microbial communities in Guaymas Basin, a sedimented, hydrocarbon-rich spreading center in the Gulf of California. The position provides excellent collaborative opportunities to link microbial taxonomy, physiology, genomics and biogeochemistry in this hydrothermal ecosystem. Start date: ASAP, 2 year duration. Contact: teske@email.unc.edu (in the field between Nov. 14 and Dec. 1)

The sampling expedition Biology Meets Subduction: A Collaborative and Multidisciplinary Deep Carbon Field Initiative was designed to develop novel connections between microbiology, volcanic systems, and the cycling of living and dead (biotic and abiotic) carbon as Earth’s plates move and subduct past each other. With the fieldwork complete, the team, led by DCO early career scientists has started to publish their findings. Join Peter Barry (University of Oxford, UK), Karen Lloyd (University of Tennessee Knoxville, USA), and Donato Giovannelli (CNR-IRBIM, Italy and Rutgers University, USA) as they discuss their fieldwork in Costa Rica and Panama and share the value added and problems created by conducting a multidisciplinary scientific investigation in the field. The live webinar will be held January 23, 2019 at 11am PT / 2pm ET.

As you are aware, scientific ocean drilling is half a century old this year, marked by the maiden voyage of the Glomar Challenger in 1968. Discoveries from scientific ocean drilling through the DSDP, ODP and IODP programs have helped reveal Earth’s history and have been critical to shaping our understanding of how our planet works. But although results from scientific ocean drilling have never have been stronger, addressing future challenges in the Earth sciences will require improved technologies that are not currently available on the JOIDES Resolution. The current phase of scientific ocean drilling will end after 2023, which is only five years away. At that same time the JOIDES Resolution will be 45 years old. In short, we are approaching a critical point with the current science plan expiring and the JOIDES Resolution in need of a replacement. Continuation of scientific ocean drilling beyond 2023 requires planning and action now. We are co-chairing the steering committee Instituting U.S. Scientific Ocean Drilling Beyond 2023 (SOD23+) to lead the U.S. planning for the post-2023 era in scientific ocean drilling and need broad input and support from the U.S. and international communities to consider the scientific plan and our future platform needs. In order to prepare the U.S. community for this critical time, we are organizing a two-day Workshop on May 6-7, 2019 in Denver that will bring together roughly 80-90 U.S.-IODP researchers and perhaps 20 international collaborators from non-U.S. IODP countries. Application window to the Denver3 Workshop opens January 28, 2019 and closes February 15, 2019.

Attending the Astrobiology Science Conference taking place from June 24-28, 2018 in Seattle, Washington? Submit your abstract to our session and we hope to see you there! Description: Recent discoveries on ocean worlds as well as remnants of ancient aqueous environments on Mars set important foundations in the search for extraterrestrial life. To better prioritize targets for investigation, select high-value analysis sites, and develop exploration strategies for potential ancient or extant biosignatures, a diverse set of analog environments on Earth are extremely valuable. Given the rapidly emerging nature of the field, as well as the ocean world missions under development, key details of how such findings translate into habitability are timely. We welcome in particular abstracts addressing geological contexts or spatial scales that could inform the search for habitable environments or biosignatures on our solar system’s Ocean Worlds. Relevant work will contextualize terrestrial studies – including those pertaining to Pre-Cambrian glacial “Snowball” conditions – within the framework of aqueous paleoenvironments on Mars and our expanding knowledge of celestial bodies like Europa, Enceladus, Titan, Ceres, and Triton. Subjects could include (but are not limited to) geophysical analyses that constrain habitable environments or geochemical gradients, assessments of energetics for past or extant life, the effect of ice cover on physical and chemical processes, or biological activity that could generate diagnostic biomarkers. We also encourage “process-based” abstracts that detail how the exploratory approaches used in terrestrial contexts – such as mission operations, instrument testing, and field site selection – may be mobilized in support of the future astrobiology missions. Abstracts are due March 6, 2019.

The Rocky Mountain Geobiology Symposium is a one-day conference that brings geobiologists from the Rocky Mountain region together to share their research findings. Oral and poster presentations are open for students and postdocs; faculty are encouraged to attend. Registration is free to attendees. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided, as well as limited travel assistance for students and postdocs. The abstract submission deadline is February 15, 2019, and registration deadline (without abstract submission) is March 20, 2019.

Attending Goldschmidt 2019 in Barcelona? Consider submitting your abstracts to Session 09c:Biogeochemical Cycling in Changing Glacial Habitats and Downstream Ecosystems. Conveners: Alexander Michaud, Trista Vick-Majors. Description: Glaciers and ice sheets, as major drivers of weathering and erosion, are important features within the critical zone. As the size, distribution, and melt patterns associated with glaciers continue to change, so too will their impacts to downstream ecosystems. Habitats beneath and downstream of glaciers will contend with hydrologic changes leading to altered nutrient and sediment regimes. The microorganisms that catalyze the transformation of elements within glacial habitats and downstream environments will respond to these changes in unknown ways. This session seeks to synthesize knowledge on the impacts of changing hydrology and sediment transport on the biogeochemistry of glaciated systems, the microbial life in those systems, and the downstream consequences of change. We invite abstracts that address biogeochemical linkages within or among components of glaciated systems, or how microbial or biogeochemical processes are affected by changes in glacier movement, hydrology, or extent. Habitats downstream of glaciers are numerous, so we encourage abstracts from studies conducted in fjords, terrestrial glacial forefields, proglacial lakes, supraglacial, and subglacial habitats. The session aims to contextualize how glacial changes will regulate future biogeochemical processes. Abstract submission opens January 15, 2019, and closes March 29, 2019.

Now in its 16th year, the Symposium is a regional conference which provides opportunities for students and post-docs studying one of the myriad facets of geobiology to come together and share their findings. The symposium is just one day long but will include both oral and poster presentations. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided to attendees and registration is free. Although only presentations from students and post-docs will be accepted, faculty are welcome and encouraged to attend. A registration website is now available. The deadline to be considered for an oral presentation is February 8, 2019, so don’t wait too long! We will continue to accept general registration and poster abstracts after that date, but please sign up as soon as possible to aid us in logistical planning.

The workshop Anatomy of a Long-Lived Oceanic Arc: Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc System and Analogs aims to: (1) review the results of extensive drilling by four recent IODP expeditions; (2) review other (non-drilling) approaches used to study the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) system; (3) present mantle and ocean floor drilling objectives in other systems and synthesize these with IBM results and goals; (4) make comparisons with arc and ophiolite field analogs around the globe; and (5) identify avenues for future collaborative research. The workshop will involve synthesizing results in the IBM arc system and analogous modern systems and outcrop analogs, a mid-week field trip to examine IBM rocks, and targeted discussion of thematic and geographic areas ideal for collaborative research, synthesis papers, and new research proposals. A number of travel support grants will be available for participants from U.S. institutions and organizations. Support for a limited number of international participants will need to be provided by individuals or IODP member countries. In addition to scientists within the IODP community and early career researchers, we also encourage researchers, including field geologists and modelers, who do not normally participate in IODP projects to apply. Workshop participation is open to U.S. and international researchers and the deadline to apply is May 1, 2019.

Our 2018 Networked Speaker Series speakers have been selected! These early career investigators were nominated by members of the community for their exciting research and effective communication, so mark your calendars! The intent of these half-hour talks is to connect all of us interested “deeply” or broadly in the deep biosphere.

Interested in looking up which microbial groups have been isolated or enriched from the deep biosphere? Having information about new isolates or enrichments that you would like to add to this list? C-DEBI maintains an unofficial list on the C-DEBI website as a Resource that the community is welcome to access and contribute to.

To help preserve deep biosphere methods for use in future projects, the Center strongly encourages you to describe your lab and software-based methods using protocols.io, and to link them to our group page at https://www.protocols.io/groups/center-for-dark-energy-biosphere-investigations. The protocols.io website provides an easy-to-use platform to share reproducible, step-by-step scientific methods. So far, our group has 10 protocols up and we hope to preserve as many methods as possible from the community, including both successful and failed protocols. Please contact Matt Janicak <janicak@usc.edu> if you have any questions about using the site and we hope to see your contributions up soon.

The NSF Science and Technology Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) invites proposals for $15,000 on average (and up to $20,000) in direct funds for community workshops that will help to advance C-DEBI’s central research agenda: to investigate the subseafloor biosphere deep in marine sediment and oceanic crust, and to conduct multi-disciplinary studies to develop an integrated understanding of subseafloor microbial life at the molecular, cellular, and ecosystem scales. C-DEBI’s research agenda balances exploration-based discovery, hypothesis testing, data integration and synthesis, and systems-based modeling. C-DEBI welcomes proposals from applicants who would enhance diversity in C-DEBI and STEM fields.

A multinational research team drilled into the seafloor (IODP 357: Atlantis Massif Serpentinization and Life) to see whether chemical processes in exposed shallow mantle rocks could generate nutrients to support life in the subsurface. The recent Eos Project Update is provided by Co-Chief Scientists Gretchen L. Früh-Green and Beth N. Orcutt.

In the carbon-rich sediments of the Baltic Sea, microbes use a variety of strategies to make a living from different types of organic material that have settled there, including making and consuming alcohol and breaking down proteins from dead cells. Featuring Zinke, et al. in Applied and Environmental Microbiology (C-DEBI Contribution 448).

Roland Hatzenpichler and his colleagues will board a submersible in November that will take them down 6,500 feet to the bottom of Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California to extract core samples of the hydrothermally active microbe-rich sediments found there. The scientists plan to use newly developed technology to research the samples to gain a better understanding of what microbes live in the sediments and what role they play in breaking down and converting carbon.

Successful projects of the URoL:Epigenetics Program are anticipated to use complementary, interdisciplinary approaches to investigate how epigenetic phenomena lead to emergent properties that explain the fundamental behavior of living systems. Ultimately, successful projects should identify general principles (“rules”) that underlie a wide spectrum of biological phenomena across size, complexity (e.g., molecular, cellular, organismal, population) and temporal scales (from sub-second to geologic) in taxa from anywhere within the tree of life. URoL:Epigenetics projects must integrate perspectives and research approaches from more than one research discipline (e.g., biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, social and behavioral sciences). The interdisciplinary scope of URoL:Epigenetics projects also provides unique training and outreach possibilities to train the next generation of scientists in a diversity of approaches and to engage society more generally. Full proposal deadline: February 1, 2019.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 387 Amazon Margin, aboard the JOIDES Resolution. IODP Expedition 387 will drill the upper portion of the Foz do Amazonas basin of the equatorial margin of Brazil to recover a complete, high-resolution sedimentary sequence spanning nearly the entire Cenozoic. This expedition is the marine complement to the Trans-Amazon Drilling Project transect of continental drill sites, and will address fundamental questions about the Cenozoic climatic evolution of the Amazon region, the origins and evolution of the neotropical rain forest and its incomparable biodiversity, the paleoceanographic history of the western equatorial Atlantic, and the origins of the transcontinental Amazon River. Core and log data from sites on the uppermost continental slope will be used to: (1) generate a continuous record of climate and biodiversity in Cenozoic South America at unprecedented resolution; (2) reconstruct the oceanographic conditions of the western tropical Atlantic; (3) provide critical marine biostratigraphic control for correlation with the Trans-Amazon Drilling Project; (4) determine the onset and history of trans-continental drainage of the proto-Amazon River into the Atlantic; and (5) test major hypotheses about the originations and extinctions of tropical South American biota. The expedition will take place from 26 April to 26 June 2020. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, inorganic/organic geochemists, petrologists, petrophysicists, microbiologists, and borehole geophysicists. U.S.-affiliated scientists interested in responding to the special call should apply to sail through the U.S. Science Support Program. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2019.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 388 Equatorial Atlantic Gateway, aboard the JOIDES Resolution. IODP Expedition 388 will study the tectonic, climatic, and biotic evolution of the Equatorial Atlantic Gateway (EAG) at three sites on and near the Pernambuco Plateau (northeastern Brazilian continental shelf). These will target Late Cretaceous-Recent sediments and oceanic crust and are strategically located both near the continental margin and at paleo-water depths that are shallow enough (< 2000 m) to provide well-preserved organic biomarkers and calcareous microfossils for proxy reconstructions of greenhouse climates. Core and log data will address four key themes: (1) the early rift history of the Equatorial Atlantic; (2) the biogeochemistry of the restricted Equatorial Atlantic; (3) the long-term paleoceanography of the EAG; and, (4) the limits of tropical climates and ecosystems under conditions of extreme warmth. This expedition will constrain the long-term interactions between tectonics, oceanography, ocean biogeochemistry and climate, and the functioning of tropical ecosystems and climate during intervals of extreme warmth. The expedition will take place from 26 June to 26 August 2020. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, inorganic/organic geochemists, microbiologists, petrologists, petrophysicists, and borehole geophysicists. U.S.-affiliated scientists interested in responding to the special call should apply to sail through the U.S. Science Support Program. The deadline to apply is April 1, 2019.

The OPUS program seeks to provide opportunities for mid- to later-career investigators to develop new understanding of science in the fields supported by the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) through two tracks of synthesis activities. 1) OPUS: Mid-Career Synthesis: This track provides an opportunity for a mid-career researcher, defined as a candidate at the associate professor rank (or equivalent) to enable a new synthesis of their ongoing research. Synthesis is achieved by developing new research capabilities through collaboration with a mentor to enable new understanding of their research system and questions of interest. This track aims to provide mid-career scientists with new capabilities to enhance their productivity, improve their retention as scientists, and ensure a diverse scientific workforce that remains engaged in active research (including more women and minorities at high academic ranks). 2) OPUS: Core Research Synthesis: This track provides an opportunity for an individual or a group of investigators to revisit and synthesize a significant body of their prior research in a way that will enable new understanding of their research system and questions of interest. This track would also be appropriate early enough in a career to produce unique, integrated insight useful both to the scientific community and to the development of the investigator’s future career. Full proposal deadlines: November 19, 2018 and August 5, 2019.

The PI of an active NSF award may request supplemental funding for one or more graduate students to gain knowledge, skills and experiences that will augment their preparation for a successful long-term career through an internship in a non-academic setting, including the following: For-profit industry laboratories or industry research and development groups; Start-up businesses, such as (but not limited to) those funded through the NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program; Government agencies (all levels) and National Laboratories; Policy think-tanks; and Non-profit organizations. PIs are encouraged to discuss with the cognizant NSF program director activities that are synergistic with the project scope. It is expected that the graduate student and the PI on the NSF grant will work together to identify innovative experiences that add the most educational value for the graduate student on activities that are not already available at the student’s academic institution. Further, it is expected that the internship will be on-site at the host organization and will be research-focused in a STEM field or in STEM education research. The total amount of funding requested must not exceed $55,000 per student per six-month period. NSF plans to fund up to approximately 200 supplements in fiscal years FY 2019 and FY 2020, depending on the availability of funds. Supplemental funding requests may be submitted at any time but no later than May 1, 2019 (for available FY 2019 funds) and May 1, 2020 (for available FY 2020 funds).

The Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (IIBR) program encourages new approaches to the acquisition and use of biological data to provide greater value to the scientific community. The IIBR program is especially interested in proposals that offer innovative and potentially transformative advances in the acquisition and use of biological data through the development of 1) informatics methods and resources for organizing, analyzing, and displaying complex data sets, 2) novel instrumentation and associated methods for collection of new data, and 3) multidisciplinary approaches to innovative infrastructure solutions in data acquisition, management, or analysis. It is expected that awards made in the IIBR program will stimulate advances that impact a significant segment of the biological research community supported by the NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). All fields of science supported by BIO are eligible for support under the IIBR program. Proposals accepted anytime.

Advances in the biological sciences are enabled by our capacity to acquire, manage, represent, and analyze biological information through the use of modern instrumentation and computational tools. Instrumentation Capacity for Biological Research (ICBR) invites proposals that specifically enable increased access to state of the art instrumentation in support of the biological sciences by (1) increasing access to a community of users through broadening of dissemination of such instrumentation, and (2) broadening access to state-of-the art instrumentation and facilities at a regional or national level. The “Rules of Life” is one of the NSF’s ten big ideas for future investment. Understanding these basic “Rules” and how they operate across scales of time, space, and complexity to determine how genes function and interact with the environment will enable us to predict the phenotype, structure, function, and behavior of organisms. Providing scientists with the instrumentation and resources necessary to make these discoveries requires investments in new instrumentation capabilities and extending access to existing instrumentation and experimental facilities. Competitive proposals under ICBR will expand access to new or existing instrumentation that supports a significant segment of the biological research community conducting research in areas supported by the NSF Biological Sciences Directorate (BIO). The program will support activities that (1) enhance the access to and dissemination of innovative instrumentation, and (2) promote and enable access to existing instrumentation facilities (ie. imaging, genomics, proteomics, etc.) at the regional or national level.

ICBR supports capacity building that may include (but is not limited to):

Building a community of instrument users through broadening dissemination of new or significantly improved instrumentation

Broadening of access to instrumentation or experimental facilities at the regional or national level that provide infrastructure for data collection that might not be otherwise available to researchers due to the cost of instrumentation, the lack of available resources on campus, or the requirement of otherwise unavailable technical expertise.

The Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) Core Track supports research and training on evolutionary and ecological processes acting at the level of populations, species, communities, and ecosystems. DEB encourages research that elucidates fundamental principles that identify and explain the unity and diversity of life and its interactions with the environment over space and time. Research may incorporate field, laboratory, or collection-based approaches; observational or manipulative studies; synthesis activities; phylogenetic discovery projects; or theoretical approaches involving analytical, statistical, or computational modeling. Research addressing ecology and ecosystem science in the marine biome should be directed to the Biological Oceanography Program in the Division of Ocean Sciences; research addressing evolution and systematics in the marine biome should be directed to the Evolutionary Processes or Systematics and Biodiversity Science programs in DEB. All DEB programs also encourage proposals that leverage NSF-supported data networks, databases, centers, and other forms of scientific infrastructure, including but not limited to the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Environmental Data Initiative (EDI), and Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio). Rules of Life Track proposals that integrate across the scales in biological sciences are solicited to support research that spans from the population, species, community and ecosystem scales normally funded by DEB, to organismal, cellular and molecular scales typically funded by other divisions in the Biological Sciences. This track provides new opportunities to advance our understanding of the Rules of Life by new mechanisms for review and funding of proposals that would not ordinarily fit well within one division in the Biological Sciences Directorate. Proposals Accepted Anytime.

The goal of the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) activity is to enhance the professional development of K-12 science educators through research experiences at the emerging frontiers of science in order to bring new knowledge into the classroom. BIO strongly encourages all of its grantees to make special efforts to identify talented teachers who can participate in this RET activity to integrate research and education. This special opportunity is the same opportunity that is specified in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) solicitation. We believe that encouraging active participation of teachers in on-going NSF projects is an excellent way to strengthen the scientific expertise of our nation’s teachers. Another goal of the RET supplement activity is to build collaborative relationships between K-12 science educators and the NSF research community. BIO is particularly interested in encouraging its researchers to build mutually rewarding partnerships with teachers at urban or rural schools and those in school districts with limited resources. Before submitting an RET request (as part of a new or renewal NSF proposal or as a supplemental funding request to an existing NSF award), we strongly encourage the Principal Investigator to initiate a conversation via email or phone with the program director of his/her particular NSF award, or the cognizant program director for the program to which s/he is submitting a proposal.

NSF celebrates the progress that U.S. institutions of higher education have made in bringing diversity to the science and engineering enterprise. Strategies to successfully broaden participation during pre-college years will help to ensure a diverse pool of future students, faculty and researchers. As a part of a new or renewal NSF proposal or as a supplemental funding request to an existing NSF Award, the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) will consider requests that: 1) Foster interest in the pursuit of studies in the Biological Sciences; and 2) Broaden participation of high school students, particularly those who are underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and women in sub-disciplines where they are underrepresented.

The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) provides awards to Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions to promote high quality science (including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, statistics, and other social and behavioral sciences as well as natural sciences), technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, research, and outreach. Support is available:

The Deep Life Community (DLC) within the Sloan Foundation supported Deep Carbon Observatory realizes that the majority of deep microbial life has been resistant to cultivation in the laboratory, which complicates the characterization of physiological characteristics of deep community members. However, recent studies using bioreactor-cultivation techniques, under high pressure and/or temperature, have resulted in successful enrichment of previously uncultivable archaeal and bacterial components that mediate biogeochemical carbon cycling in deep subsurface (1-7). In order to maintain and strengthen cultivation strategies in future deep life missions, the DLC will support early-carrier researchers to visit some key laboratories (Inagaki – Kochi, Japan, Bartlett – La Jolla, USA, and others) to learn and practice newly developed cultivation and cultivation-dependent molecular/biogeochemical techniques using samples from the DLC’s field missions. Financial support includes $5,400 per person for travel and lodging costs and host lab research supply reimbursement. Interested applicants should send their cv, a brief one page statement of their cultivation plans, and a letter of support from their intended host to Fumio Inagaki (inagaki@jamstec.go.jp ) and Douglas Bartlett (dbartlett@ucsd.edu).

C-DEBI facilitates scientific coordination and collaborations by supporting student, postdoctoral, and faculty exchanges to build, educate and train the deep subseafloor biosphere community. We award small research exchange grants for Center participants. These grants may be used to support research, travel for presenting C-DEBI research at meetings, or travel exchanges to other partner institutions or institutions that have new tools and techniques that can be applied to C-DEBI research. We anticipate ~10 awards of $500-5000 with additional matched funds to be granted annually.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) invites investigators at U.S. organizations to submit proposals to the Arctic Sciences Section, Division of Polar Programs (PLR) to conduct research about the Arctic region. The goal of this solicitation is to attract research proposals that advance a fundamental, process, and systems-level understanding of the Arctic’s rapidly changing natural environment and social and cultural systems, and, where appropriate, to improve our capacity to project future change. The Arctic Sciences Section supports research focused on the Arctic region and its connectivity with lower latitudes. The scientific scope is aligned with, but not limited to, research challenges outlined in the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (https://www.nsf.gov/geo/plr/arctic/iarpc/start.jsp) five-year plans. The Arctic Sciences Section coordinates with programs across NSF and with other federal and international partners to co-review and co-fund Arctic proposals as appropriate. The Arctic Sciences Section also maintains Arctic logistical infrastructure and field support capabilities that are available to enable research. Proposals accepted anytime.

The U.S. Science Support Program sponsors Pre-Drilling Activities to provide funds in quick response to an opportunity to acquire data or information that will enhance a drilling expedition. Priority is given to projects that support expeditions already on the ship’s schedule. The definition of this activity is deliberately flexible to allow consideration of exceptional or unusual requests for drill site data enhancement.

Abstract

The methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) complex is a key enzyme in archaeal methane generation and has recently been proposed to also be involved in the oxidation of short-chain hydrocarbons including methane, butane, and potentially propane. The number of archaeal clades encoding the MCR continues to grow, suggesting that this complex was inherited from an ancient ancestor, or has undergone extensive horizontal gene transfer. Expanding the representation of MCR-encoding lineages through metagenomic approaches will help resolve the evolutionary history of this complex. Here, a near-complete Archaeoglobi metagenome-assembled genome (MAG; Ca. Polytropus marinifundus gen. nov. sp. nov.) was recovered from the deep subseafloor along the Juan de Fuca Ridge flank that encodes two divergent McrABG operons similar to those found in Ca. Bathyarchaeota and Ca. Syntrophoarchaeum MAGs. Ca. P. marinifundus is basal to members of the class Archaeoglobi, and encodes the genes for β-oxidation, potentially allowing an alkanotrophic metabolism similar to that proposed for Ca. Syntrophoarchaeum. Ca. P. marinifundus also encodes a respiratory electron transport chain that can potentially utilize nitrate, iron, and sulfur compounds as electron acceptors. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the Ca. P. marinifundus MCR operons were horizontally transferred, changing our understanding of the evolution and distribution of this complex in the Archaea.

Abstract

Two expeditions to Dorado Outcrop on the eastern flank of the East Pacific Rise and west of the Middle America Trench collected images, video, rocks and sediment samples and measured temperature and fluid discharge rates to document the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of a regional, low‐temperature (~15°C) hydrothermal system. Analysis of video and images identified lava morphologies: pillow, lobate, and sheet flows. Glasses from collected lavas were consistent with an off‐axis formation. Hydrothermal discharge generally occurs through pillow lavas, but is patchy, sporadic, and sometimes ceases at particular sites of discharge. Year‐long temperature measurements at five of these discharge sites show daily ranges that oscillate with tidal frequencies by 6°C or more. Instantaneous fluid discharge rates (0.16 to 0.19 L s‐1) were determined resulting in a calculated discharge of ~200 L s‐1 when integrated over the area defined by the most robust fluid discharge. Such discharge has a power output of 10‐12 MW. Hydrothermal seepage through thin sediment adjacent to the outcrop accounts for <3% of this discharge, but seepage may support an oxic sediment column. High extractable Mn concentrations and depleted δ13C in the low but variable organic solid phase suggest hydrothermal fluids provide a source for manganese accumulation and likely enhance the oxidation of organic carbon. Comparisons of the physical and geochemical characteristics at Dorado and Baby Bare Outcrops, the latter being the only other site of ridge‐flank hydrothermal discharge that has been sampled directly, suggest commonalities and differences that have implications for future discoveries.

Abstract

Formation of microtubules in volcanic glass from subsurface environments has been widely attributed to in situ activity of micro-organisms, but evidence directly linking those structures to biological processes remains lacking. Investigations into the alternative possibility of abiotic tubule formation have been limited. A laboratory experiment was conducted to examine whether moderate-temperature hydrothermal alteration of basaltic glass by seawater would produce structures similar to those ascribed to biological processes. Shards of glass were reacted with artificial seawater at 150°C for 48 days. Following reaction, the shards were uniformly covered with a brick-red alteration rind 10–30 μm thick composed primarily of phyllosilicates. Inspection of the margins of reacted shards with light microscopy did not reveal any tubule structures. However, the alteration products did include features containing micron-sized spheroidal structures that resemble granular alteration textures, which some investigators have attributed to biological activity. This result suggests that the granular textures may be at least partially abiotic, and that biological activity may make a smaller contribution to alteration of the oceanic crust than has been previously proposed. Also, while the experimental results do not exclude the possibility that tubules form abiotically, they do place limitations on the conditions under which this may occur.

Abstract

In this study, we integrated geochemical measurements, microbial diversity surveys and physiological characterization of laboratory strains to investigate substrate-attached filamentous microbial biofilms at Tor Caldara, a shallow-water gas vent in the Tyrrhenian Sea. At this site, the venting gases are mainly composed of CO2 and H2S and the temperature at the emissions is the same as that of the surrounding water. To investigate the composition of the total and active fraction of the Tor Caldara biofilm communities, we collected established and newly formed filaments and we sequenced the 16S rRNA genes (DNA) and the 16S rRNA transcripts (cDNA). Chemoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing members of the Gammaproteobacteria (predominantly Thiotrichales) dominate the active fraction of the established microbial filaments, while Epsilonproteobacteria (predominantly Sulfurovum spp.) are more prevalent in the young filaments. This indicates a succession of the two communities, possibly in response to age, sulfide and oxygen concentrations. Growth experiments with representative laboratory strains in sulfide gradient medium revealed that Sulfurovum riftiae (Epsilonproteobacteria) grew closer to the sulfide source than Thiomicrospirasp. (Gammaproteobacteria, Thiotrichales). Overall, our findings show that sulfur-oxidizing Epsilonproteobacteria are the dominant pioneer colonizers of the Tor Caldara biofilm communities and that Gammaproteobacteria become prevalent once the community is established. This succession pattern appears to be driven - among other factors - by the adaptation of Epsilon- and Gammaproteobacteria to different sulfide concentrations.

Abstract

Extracellular DNA has been reported to comprise a large fraction of total DNA in near-seafloor sediment. However, the potential effect of extracellular DNA, arising from dead or moribund cells, on sequencing surveys is a critical concern that has largely not been addressed for marine sedimentary habitats. To address this concern, we interrogated freshly collected Arctic and Pacific sediment for extracellular 16S rRNA genes using the photoactive DNA-binding dye Propidium Monoazide. Significant differences between relative abundances of total (intracellular + extracellular) Bacterial 16S rRNA genes and relative abundances of intracellular Bacterial 16S rRNA genes are only detected in three of twelve shallow [10 cm below seafloor (cmbsf)] samples. Relative abundances of total Bacterial 16S rRNA genes are statistically indistinguishable from relative abundances of intracellular Bacterial 16S rRNA genes in all interrogated samples from depths greater than 10 cmbsf. 16S rRNA gene sequencing shows that even where significantly higher abundances of extracellular genes are detected, they have little or no influence on prokaryote community composition. Taxon-level analyses suggest that extracellular DNA, arising from in situdeath, may be sourced from different organisms in sediment of different ages. However, the overall effect of extracellular genes on sequencing surveys of marine sedimentary prokaryotes is minimal.

In early August 2016, 24 early career scientists set sail from Woods Hole, Massachusetts on research cruise AT-36 to the northwest Atlantic continental slope. There, more than a kilometer beneath the water’s surface, new methane seeps and coral habitat had recently been discovered, and the multidisciplinary team of scientists was eager to conduct a more thorough investigation.

The primary aim of the expedition was to train young researchers (and potential future users) on the operational realities and scientific capabilities of National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF) assets. With this in mind, the Research Vessel Atlantis was filled to the brim with an impressive technical arsenal. The human occupied submersible Alvin shared deck space with the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry and a number of more standard oceanographic tools; daily plans sought to leverage these complementary capabilities in support of an integrated scientific program.

Among the scientific team were several members of the C-DEBI community, including Roman Barco, Anne Dekas, Colleen Hoffman, Sean Jungbluth, and Katrina Twing. It was a natural fit: “C-DEBI is committed to pursuing hypothesis-driven research in marine sediments and the marine subsurface,” says Dekas, who served as the co-chief scientist aboard the cruise. “Few oceanographic tools can sample the deep sea as precisely as those in the NDSF, making them an ideal fit for C-DEBI work.”

Barco traces his current deep sea research back to his time as a C-DEBI graduate fellow. “It developed as a side project years ago,” he recalls, “which was an investigation of the microbial colonization of different types of minerals in near-shore waters. This led to hypotheses about the deep-sea and the ocean floor, and I started thinking more actively about going deeper and participating in sampling opportunities with the use NDSF vehicles.”

AT-36 exposed Barco and the other early career scientists to all dimensions of such sampling opportunities. Some days, the team had an embarrassment of riches, leading to long nights of data and sample processing; on other days, technical issues and shifting schedules created a challenging logistical puzzle. Mid-way through the cruise, the plan called for two “bounce dives” – short and typically shallow Alvin sojourns that require an intricate series of procedural steps to go like clockwork. But as the sub was being readied for action, an electrical glitch was found. “At first, the delay was 30 minutes,” explains Dekas, “but it soon stretched to another 30 minutes, and then another. It didn’t seem like the problem was going to be fixed any time soon.” After consulting with her fellow scientists, the Alvin team, the ship’s crew, and the expedition’s all-star team of mentors, Dekas came up with a plan. “We could cancel the first bounce dive scheduled that day, but we could make up for it later in the trip,” she recalls. “All of the originally-scheduled divers would still be able to go down, and our science objectives would still be met.”

“I learned that one of the most essential and exciting aspects of deep-sea research is responding to unexpected challenges with deliberate, logical thinking, weighing the trade-offs of alternative plans, and acting quickly enough so that additional opportunities are not lost. It was actually one of my favorite moments of the cruise.”

In addition to the full scientific program and ambitious schedule of training sessions, AT-36 used telepresence to connect scientists ashore with those on the Atlantis via two-way audio and video feeds in real time. At any given time, half of the scientific party was aboard the ship, while the other half supported the effort from the Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island. Telepresence has been incorporated into exploratory efforts of remotely operated vehicles for several years, but its use for research-oriented and sample processing-based expeditions was largely untested. “One afternoon, our shore-based team was watching an Alvin recovery live on the big screen,” says Jungbluth. “Like many days, we had little idea what exciting new creatures and samples to expect, and I found myself so absorbed by the action that it felt like I was there on the back deck of the ship. This moment helped me sense the value of live telepresence in enabling anyone to follow deep-sea research in real-time.”

While the scientific bounty of AT-36 will likely be analyzed for years to come, participants are excitedly planning their next moves based on the lessons gleaned from the expedition. “This was my first experience at sea,” says Hoffman, “and it has really helped me learn what questions should be asked in the pre-cruise planning process for deep-sea work, as well as the capabilities of NDSF assets to do the kind of trace metal clean work I’m interested in.”

“I learned that multi-beam mapping enabled by Sentry generates seafloor maps with high enough resolution to identify animal burrows and other small features,” explains Jungbluth. “Real-time knowledge of microscale features will allow for more targeted sampling and more efficient and fruitful explorations.”

Paul transferred from Cañada College to UC-Berkeley in the fall following his internship and will be working this fall of 2018 in a laboratory at UC-San Francisco in the dermatology department.

With the Fisher Hydrogeology Group at UCSC, Paul Karim is working on a project to enhance groundwater conditions by increasing the input of surface waters (groundwater recharge) and improving water quality by stimulating microbial removal of nitrogen (denitrification) in shallow soil. This work is a collaboration with the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County.

Here, he and the crew are in the field creating the field site for the experiments to test different types of soil additions that may affect how surface waters enter the soil (infiltration) and are also rich in nitrate: native soil, redwood chips and charcoal (biochar).

Breaking Ground:

Three plots installed in 5 hours! The walls are reinforced with fiberglass sides to prevent collapse and encourage vertical infiltration:

Paul adds bentonite chips to seal the gap between the native soil and plot wall:

All plots are instrumented to collect temperature, pressure, and water level data (to determine flow rates), and to collect fluid samples from ~10 locations down to 1.2 m below the ground surface. Solar panels and batteries provide continuous power, and some data is transmitted in real time from the field to the laboratory.

Here’s to Paul getting his hands dirty with terrestrial hydrogeology and microbiology this summer!

C-DEBI/Sea Grant 15-second science videos

In partnership with C-DEBI, Delaware Sea Grant is expanding its collection of 15 Second Science videos and other multimedia to include resources about the deep biosphere and sub-seafloor life.

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Sign up for the C-DEBI biweekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news and opportunities for anyone interested in the deep subseafloor biosphere. The mailing list is also used for occasional event announcements and requests for proposals.